Page:Rover Boys on Land and Sea.djvu/267

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page has been validated.
THE BURNING OF THE WRECK
249

plosions, caused by some barrels of chemicals catching fire. The second explosion sent the bits of burning wood and rigging flying in all directions.

"That will leave the mutineers without a home and without stores," said old Jerry. "They're in a poor fix now."

"I'd like to know how the fire started," said the captain. "Can you explain it?" he went on, to Gibson and Marny.

"I've got an idea," said Marny. "Just before we came away old man Shular went down in the hold with a light to look for some certain brand of liquor we were carrying. He was more than half drunk, and he most likely dropped his lantern and set something on fire."

At the end of an hour and a half the flames had died down to the water's edge. A few small bits of wreckage continued to burn, and also a grove of trees and brushwood on the island. But before morning every bit of the fire was out, and only a heavy smoke showed where the Golden Wave had once rested.

No one had thought of retiring again, and sunrise found them all worn out, and anxious to know what was going to happen next.

"You can rest assured that some of them will be over here sooner or later," said Dick. "Now